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Mishelle Shepard's avatar

Excellent, thank you so much! The mash is what I’ve done in the past and I really like it. Had never heard of the brine before I saw your recipes, so I’m excited to try something new. I also smoked half of the peppers beforehand, also new and thanks to your recipes. The brine ferment is just 3 days old now and already smells and tastes amazing. I saw you don’t deseed yours first, so I tried that, thought it would be too hot, but doesn’t seem so yet. I wanted to be able to compare them different ways, so that’s three so far, will let you know!

Thanks so much for all the inspiration and a big soulful solstice to y’all—or whatever! 🤗

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Gavin Mounsey's avatar

My pleasure, thanks for letting me know you are trying out the recipes, it made my day.

ooOOOoo half smoked peppers and then fermented, that is gonna have some really nice flavour, good call! :)

Ya I do not de-seed unless I am tryna save seeds for growing them, but I like fiery flavors more than some.

Speaking of spicy foods, I have a fun collection of heirloom pepper seeds from the garden this year and I can send some your way if you wanna give growing some unusual varieties a try.

I love that, "a big soulful solstice to y’all—or whatever! " I think if I saw that on a card I would buy ten of them and send them to a bunch of friends haha

Have a great night and a super soulful solstice to you as well my friend :)

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Mishelle Shepard's avatar

Yes I would thanks! I’m going to contact you. 😊

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Mishelle Shepard's avatar

Quick question Gavin, please! I’m making some fermented peppers based on your Flame recipe. I remember seeing one recipe where after fermentation you blended everything and bottled it like a regular hot sauce, Sriracha maybe? Is that right, or am I remembering it wrong? If so, were you draining off all the brine first and blending just the peppers, or all together?

Thank you for your help!

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Gavin Mounsey's avatar

Hey Mishelle,

If I am fermenting whole peppers and other ingredients in a salt brine usually pour the brine through a strainer and then add just enough to the blender so it is the consistency I like. If you want a thicker sauce add less brine. I usually keep the extra brine (which is packed with b vitamins, minerals, medicinal compounds and flavor) in a jar in the fridge and throw a splash in Mexican recipes, curries or sometimes I just take a shot glass full of it if I start to feel under the weather.

For Sriracha I do not typically use a salt brine for fermenting but rather ferment the peppers in a "mash" (coarsely ground up into a thick paste consistency and with 1 tsp of sea salt added per 250 ml of mash) and I stir once or twice a day and let it ferment at least a week (usually two or more) then lightly blend that mash to get a more even consistency before bottling.

I look forward to hearing how it turns out :)

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The Word Herder's avatar

Your photography is as good as your recipes!! All that's missing is the taste! I will just go out on a limb and feel confident that the taste is GREAT! ^_^ Thanks, GM.

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João Alface's avatar

How many pepper varieties do you have?

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Gavin Mounsey's avatar

I bi-annually cycle through the heirloom (and wild) varieties of chilis I am stewarding as I do not have enough space in our yard to grow them all to save seed from each year. I grow 7 varieties per season but we have 11 in our collection (and two new emergent naturally hybridized varieties that appeared in our garden recently which are a combination of some of those 11). How about yourself? :)

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João Alface's avatar

Wow.

Peppers I've just started last year. So far I only have African bird's eye and padron pepper. But for next season I already have california reaper; yellow, orange and chocolate habanero; cayenne; scotch bonnet; boule de feu; bhut jolokia. That's it. I live in Portugal so it's hard to fail. Weather is perfect to grow organic food.

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ArtemisForestFairy's avatar

I do that with whole lemons also. Your post made me hungry for pickled jalapinos. they will clear your sinuses right away.

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The Word Herder's avatar

Yum.

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ArtemisForestFairy's avatar

they - the lemons- are amazing slices up on baked fish. no need for salting.

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The Word Herder's avatar

Donut torture me, I cannot cook for now— ME, a professional COOK! B/c I’m living in my CAR.

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ArtemisForestFairy's avatar

awe man, that is tough. I been there. barely housed atm.

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The Word Herder's avatar

How could you know! But I shall prevail, just like the Pals shall prevail, and Humanity shall prevail, and YOU shall prevail! ^_^

I try not to slip off into self-pity wallow, but I DO IT here and there anyway… xo Enjoy that lemon and fish for me! I’ll get back there sooner or later. ;)

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ArtemisForestFairy's avatar

where i live there is no fish (no edible fish), i just remember it from before the lockdown. I try to get my son to take up fishing tho. i have not been successful.

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